Les - I am not an experienced rover. I started roving in the June 2007
VHF contest and have roved in 7 contests since then. So I have some
experience with starting roving from scratch. Here is some advice that
I hope you will find successful:
1. Don't bite off more than you can chew. Successful roving is the
optimization of limited resources. In a rover, you have limited power,
limited space, limited places for antennas, limited height for
antennas, limited pointing accuracy, limited time to operate from a
grid, and limited time to get from one grid to another. The key to a
good first rove is to figure out how to deal with all of these
limitations without having any individual one consume too many of your
limited personal resources. Three bands with the FT-857, perhaps four
with the 220 MHz transverter, is a good place to start. Enter the
limited rover class. Leave 1296 and 10 GHz for another time, when you
are more experienced. Or enter the upcoming 10 GHz contest.
2. Be loud on two. If 6 is dead, and it likely will be for much or all
of the September contest, two meters is the place you will make
contacts and identify people to move to other bands for more points.
If you have a 2M linear to add to the 857, go ahead and do it. It will
pay dividends.
3. I suggest starting out operating near a grid corner that is also
fairly close to a large population of VHF contesters. Or between two
large populations. You probably know where the activity is in your
area and can look at a grid map and find a likely spot. By being on at
the beginning of the contest, people will know to look for you the
rest of the contest. By being near a grid corner, you can quickly go
from one grid to another without consuming too much time traveling. By
being near population centers, lots of people will hear you. Go to
another corner on Sunday. This will make a nice rove. With 6 grids, 4
bands and modest activity, you should have a good score. It usually
isn't more than an hour drive to the nearest grid corner and you can
sleep in your own bed Saturday night.
4. Always sign /rover and always announce your grid when you call CQ.
Tell people to look for you from the new grids you will be going to if
they don't ask. Always use phonetics.
5. I don't know of any good grids near you, but I use Google Earth,
Google Maps, and Topo to find good spots. Also, if there is a local
VHF reflector, or contest reflector, ask there. People who VHF contest
love to help rovers; you are more multipliers and more QSOs. You don't
need to operate from a rare grid, just one that doesn't have much
activity in a contest.
6. I have come to the conclusion that operating in motion is
important. You may wish to have a digital voice recorder to help you
log. Or a separate driver. I now think that a successful rove consists
of operating from several good VHF high spots, and operating while in
motion from one good site to another in perhaps another 5 or 6 grids.
I find this optimizes the operating time and getting to a great spot,
like a mountain top, doesn't consume all of the time you have
available. You may prefer a different strategy, but that is a good
place to start
7. I don't know how long your short Yagis are, but I suggest ones that
are at least 5 or 6 feet long, and up to 8 or 10 ft if you have them.
If you need Yagis in the 5 or 6 ft range, the WA5VJB ones are easy to
make on short notice.
8. Keep the antennas at least a half wave above the vehicle. This will
be marginal to achieve on 6M, but should be achievable on the rest of
the bands. This will help you put more radiation at low angles. This
means that the lower loop of you 2M stack should be at least 40 inches
above the pickup, which will probably put it up pretty high, but not
above the legal limit.
9. Bring CW capability. It adds 10 dB or so to the signal to noise
ratio capability. I always make one or two contacts on CW that I
otherwise wouldn't have made.
10. Move people from one band to another. I usually make first contact
on 2, then move to 432, then to 6. With 220, you would put that
between 432 and 6. This optimizes the points you can make. Try to work
as many people on one band before you move, then try to move the whole
pack. Try not to leave anyone behind as you change bands, as it can be
hard to pick them up again. Here in NM, activity is sparse, and the
calling frequencies are usually used for all this. If activity is
higher there, pick a set of frequencies beforehand, and use the same
ones every time. That way people will know where to look for you.
Announce that you will be returning to the 2M frequency when you have
finished working everyone on the other bands. It pays to be
predictable when you are a rover. You probably won't be able to do
this with the big gun op stations though. Check the log to see that
you got everyone. Try to control this process rather than have an
impatient station try to move you to another band before you have
worked out the one you are on. This is easier in a grid that most
people need. This whole process requires a knack, finesse, and that
you be an efficient operator. Practice it rather than give up on it.
It is tempting to move too soon; before you move, always ask if there
is anyone else that needs to work you.
11. Call CQ. People can't work you if they don't know that you are
there. Calling to a dead band is a tedious task, but it does pay off.
12. Don't stay too long at any one grid. Too long is relative, but I
think an hour and a half is usually plenty unless band conditions are
super, and I have left after 30 minutes or 45 minutes if activity was
very low.
13. Set goals. They help you keep going when things get slow, help you
measure your progress, and make the weekend worthwhile when you
finally meet them. Set an achievable goal and one that will require
you to stretch your capability. Making a certain number of QSOs, say
100, is a good goal. Having your call published in QST, which means a
first place in the division, top 5 in the region, or top 10 nationwide
is a good goal. I set these as goals when I first started roving, and
finally met them. Since then I have set a goal to operate from all 22
grids in NM. I have 21 down and will try to get the last one in
September. Trying to improve the rover for each contest is a good goal.
14. Take Friday afternoon off to set up the rover. Plan to be in place
at your first stop an hour before the contest starts to ensure that
everything is in place ready to go.
15. Roving is hard work. Be sure to take and drink plenty of water so
you don't dehydrate. Rather than full meals, I find snacking during
slow times best. You will be tired Sunday night. Take Monday off to
recover.
16. Work everyone you hear. Try hard to work the weak ones.
Occasionally you will be pleasantly surprised.
17. Announce your plans on a local reflector, and on national ones as
well. I keep an e-mail list of those in the region I have worked in
past contests and those in the region who have been active in VHF/UHF
contests. I send a separate e-mail to them with more details of the
planned rove. Do this a couple of times before the rove to stir up
interest. Change the message each time so it is not like spam. After
the contest is over, I send another e-mail to the list telling how I
did and thanking everyone for the contact. In a slow contest, like the
uHF contest I can send an individual thank you to each one I
contacted. You obviously can't do this for the big contests like the
June contest, but this individual attention builds up camardarie among
contesters and I like to think it helps motivate people to go out of
their way to work you.
This covers more than you asked, but I didn't have the time to write
anything shorter. :^)= - Duffey
On Aug 14, 2008, at 12:51 PM, Les Rayburn wrote:
> I'm considering portable/rover operation during the September
> contest. This
> would be .my first effort from outside the fixed shack. I've got a
> ton of
> questions, but I'll limit it to just three or four right now:
>
> 1.) I'm thinking of adding 10ghz which seems to be popular here.
> Anyone have a
> 10ghz transverter/antenna combo that they're looking to sell?
>
> 2.) I'd like to start off close to home. What is the best way to
> find good
> sites within my own grid? (EM63)
>
> 3.) Considering driving to another nearby grid, especially if there
> is one
> that is needed in Alabama by area DX'ers. Anybody looking for a grid
> in
> Alabama?
>
> Operation would be done using my 2005 Chevy Colorado pickup which is
> currently
> equipped with a Yassu FT-857D and two phased KU4AB 2 Meter loops. I
> also have
> a 1/4 mag mount for six meters, which is fine for strong e-skip, but
> worthless
> for weak signal. I have a KU4AB loop for six that I could add as well.
>
> When stopped, I have some small Yagis for 2, 222, and 432 that I
> could deploy
> on a small push up mast. I could also toss the IC-910H into the
> passenger seat
> and get another loop yagi to add 1.2ghz to the effort. A small
> transverter
> will add 222 into the mix.
>
> As always, thanks for the advice.
>
> 73,
>
> Les Rayburn, N1LF
>
>
>
> Les Rayburn, director
> High Noon Film
> 100 Centerview Drive Suite 111
> Birmingham, AL 35216-3748
> 205.824.8930
> 205.824.8960 fax
> 205.253.4867 cell
> ------
> Submissions: vhf@w6yx.stanford.edu
> Subscription/removal requests: vhf-request@w6yx.stanford.edu
> Human list administrator: vhf-approval@w6yx.stanford.edu
> List rules and information: http://www-w6yx.stanford.edu/vhf/
--
KK6MC
James Duffey
Cedar Crest NM
_______________________________________________
VHFcontesting mailing list
VHFcontesting@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/vhfcontesting
|